The present study examined the hypothesis that perspective-taking mediates problem-focused and avoidant coping and promotes work engagement. A structural analysis of covariance was conducted on 368 employees of a Japanese pharmaceutical company. The bootstrap test was used to examine indirect effects. The results showed that higher perspective-taking, which is the tendency to imagine the position and feelings of others, promotes work engagement through a process in which problem-solving coping strategies such as proactive problem-solving, consultation for solutions, and perspective-shifting are enhanced, while avoidance coping such as putting off problems is reduced. The hypothesis was supported. New findings that higher perspective taking makes workers' stress coping strategies more effective and promotes work engagement.

This article focuses on cynicism in organization. Cynicism is a negative attitude toward one's employing organization and is closely linked to important organizational phenomena such as organizational change, burnout, and silence. However, traditional research has limited its discussion to the micro（individual）level and its negative aspects. In addition, there are potential problems with neglecting some elements such as prosocial functions and emotional/behavioral dimensions of cynicism. The purpose of this study is to conduct an integrative literature re-view on cynicism in organizations in order to organize and critique past studies and to identify future research issues. As a specific issue of future research, this article discusses the possibility of emergent formation of organizational cynicism at the macro（group/organizational） level through contagion among individuals. This study contributes to expanding the theoretical scope of cynicism in organizations.

This paper summarizes the current debate surrounding Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises（SMEs）and explores future directions for SME policy. Critics argue that the small scale of Japanese SMEs limits their ability to achieve economies of scale, resulting in low productivity. Additionally, policies based on the Small and Medium Enterprise Basic Act may discourage growth by reducing incentives for expansion.
The paper examines these issues through an analysis of SME numbers and productivity, case studies, and policy evaluations. The central research question—“Are Japanese SMEs a drag on the Japanese economy?”—is addressed with the conclusion that some SMEs hinder economic growth, while others do not.
However, the study highlights a persistent issue: a portion of SMEs deliberately choose to re-main small in order to benefit from tax incentives. The paper emphasizes the importance of policies that foster a business environment encouraging SMEs to grow into larger enterprises.

Competition is typically conceptualized as a market mechanism shaping firmsʼ competitiveness and innovation. However, our understanding of competition remains incomplete, particularly regarding a situation where firms opt for cooperation instead of rivalry. This study explores why some firms collaborate with competitors within the same industry and to identify the factors driving this behavior. Aiming to fill gaps in existing management literature, especially in competitive strategy, this paper adopts the theoretical framework of psychological safety. This concept emphasizes protecting members from negative situations to promote enhanced performance. The research context is the Japanese Regional Rice-Wine（Sake）industry, characterized by regional cooperative networks among breweries. Utilizing qualitative research methods, the findings elucidate the underlying mechanisms prompting firms to collaborate with competitors in a competitive market environment.

This study focuses on the challenges of R&D management in Japanese companies, specifically examining why it is difficult to discontinue research topics. The efficiency of R&D in Japanese firms has declined, and the conventional Stage-Gate method faces issues. Case studies of Fujifilm and Kewpie reveal that while Kewpie has introduced the Boost-Gate method to support research topics, many topics continue without thorough business feasibility evaluations, high-lighting problems in the initial selection process within R&D. Findings indicate that discontinuing research topics within R&D is difficult due to middle management's reluctance to take on additional burdens, top executives' directives, and researchers' concerns about performance evaluation. Moreover, information asymmetry between R&D and business divisions results in inefficient topics persisting until business intervention. This phenomenon can be explained by prospect theory, which suggests that individuals in uncertain environments tend to avoid risks. In conclusion, Japanese firms need to enhance the internal evaluation of research topics, which could lead to improved productivity in R&D.

This study explores the characteristics of robust business models that consistently generate superior performance across industries and over time. While prior research has primarily re-lied on qualitative methods or case-based analysis, few studies have quantitatively examined business models in a cross-industry and longitudinal manner. Addressing this gap, we focus on Japanese firms and construct a panel dataset of companies listed in the Nikkei 225 index, covering two distinct periods: 2006–2008（before the global financial crisis）and 2022–2024（after the COVID-19 pandemic）. We operationalized business models into three types and assessed their relationship with segment-level profitability. The results indicate that two-sided market models exhibit the highest robustness, followed by recurring models, while value chain models consistently underperformed across both time periods. In addition, the adoption of these models varies considerably across industries, and little substantive change in business model configurations is observed overall among Japanese firms. By identifying robust business models through cross-industry and two-period comparative panel analysis and by translating business model concepts into three measurable types tested using large-scale empirical data, this study contributes to the literature on business models and provides insights into how firms can adapt to increasingly volatile and uncertain environments.

This paper examines the conditions that clarify the perceived internal career prospects among management candidates in Japanese companies at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Drawing on interviews with 32 management candidates（16 women, 16 men）from large Japanese companies and supplementary quantitative data, we employed Qualitative Comparative Analysis（QCA）. The analysis identified configurations of diversity, equity, and inclusion（DEI）and work-life balance（WLB）conditions associated with clarity in career prospects. The findings reveal that environments in which WLB considerations do not affect promotion decisions are linked to clearer career prospects, with distinct configuration patterns emerging for women and men. Although our sample size limits the number of variables analyzed, QCA proved effective for examining multi-level DEI impact and, notably, enabled identification of specific condition combinations that affect internal career prospects, an analytical approach underexplored in prior research. Future studies with larger samples could incorporate additional variables to refine the model. This study contributes a novel perspective on how configurations of DEI and WLB conditions shape management candidates' perceptions of internal career prospects in Japanese companies.